Applying for Ms. Holly's Magic Bakery

"I want you to give my daughter a job here."

Ms. Holly looked at the mother, Regina, with her oldest daughter Victoria by her side, somewhat taken aback by her brisk and entitled tone. "You mean your daughters?" she glanced behind the pair at the younger daughter in a simple gray dress, the very opposite of the bright and loud ones her mother and sister wore.

Regina rolled her eyes. "No, my daughter, Victoria will be a great addition to your business, I assure you."

"Besides", Victoria snickered, "Lily-Rose's too drab and busy with housework to be of much use to you. You need someone eye-catching with actual people skills."

Holly's mouth formed a thin line as her eyes looked back at the young girl. The older woman could still remember when she first entered the bakery. She was about five, in a bright dress and with a brighter smile. She watched every step of the process of Holly making the family's order with the awe only a child could, and even though she didn't get a magic one, she walked out radiating joy as she had. Seeing her was the highlight of her day. Then her father died, and everything changed.

" You know how this works; there are tests to see if you can work here."

"Yes, I'm aware. She waved her hand dismissively just give me a time you're available, and I'll bring her up right away."

"Bring both of them."

At that, the mother and Victoria were stunned, and Lilly's head shot up. "What are you talking about?"

"Did I stutter? Both of them are taking the tests."

But Lilly isn't qualified for a job of this caliber; it would be a waste of time."

"Let me be the judge of that; either you bring them both to try, or you can forget it."

The mother wisely didn't press more. Holly was well-known and even more well-regarded; defying her especially in public wasn't going to end well.

The next day, the three were back making their way through the crowd that gathered to watch as word of what happened yesterday had spread.

"The test is three parts. Part one: you go through this door and bring back flour, sugar, butter, milk, and eggs. She handed both a list on soft, feeling, and sweet-smelling paper. "When you both come back, you'll then bake a pair of cakes, a pair of pies, and a loaf of bread each. One will be magic; one will be regular, and they will be used as a taste and magic test as the final part."

Victoria rushed through the door before Holly had even finished. Lilly-Rose gave a small curtsy, "Thank you for this opportunity, Ms. Holly. I'll try not to be too long."

Ms. Holly smiled warmly. "Good luck to you, dear; give the same to your sister when you catch her."

Lilly-Rose kept her smile small, not wanting her mother to see and raise her ire. When she walked through the door and after a bright flash, she found herself on a path through a field of flowers. Not too far ahead of her, she found a crossroads with signs pointing to a mill and a farm. Looking at her list, she decided to head to the mill first.

She had walked too far when she saw the mill and Victoria leaving it, holding what looked like a bag of spun gold and a bag of spun silver, not even stopping to acknowledge her. As she got in front of the mill, she noticed two girls no older than her holding a bag of wheat and a bag of sugar.

Could you help us grind this flour and pack this sugar?" one asked

"We tried to ask the girl that just left after taking a bag of each."

Lilly- Rose cringed a bit, but then she smiled and agreed. It wasn't long before both were done. As a thank you, they gave her a bag of flour tied with a golden tie and a bag of sugar with a silver tie. As she made her way back to the crossroads, she noted the first two items on her list had been crossed out.

Upon seeing the farm, she once again found her sister leaving, now with the addition of a basket of a half dozen jeweled eggs, a stick of butter that looked like it was wrapped in gold, and milk in a silver bottle. She also once again didn't acknowledge her. In front of the farm, only one girl was there this time.

"Please could you help me with these cows?" the girl asked. "The person that just left refused and demanded to know where the chicken coop was."

Lilly-Rose nodded, grabbing a milking stool. She helped milk all three cows and even helped churn the butter. She was rewarded with milk in a silver-capped bottle and butter inside a golden butter crock.

"Thank you, " she said. " Hand me a basket. "The chicken coop is out back. A bit of advice: if you pick up an egg and it starts shaking, don't take it.

When Lilly-Rose got to the chicken coop, she quickly discovered that the jewel eggs shook while the plain ones didn't. She quickly gathered her half dozen and made her way back to the door.

"Finally, " Victoria exclaimed," I've been waiting all day!"

"It hasn't even been five minutes, Holly sighed, "and I never said gathering these things was a race." She waved her hand and the door disappeared, replaced by two baking stations. "Now on to part two."

The two sisters took to their stations. Victoria's flour landed in the bowls with a thud, while Lilly-Rose's made a small cloud. Victoria's sugar came out in clumps; Lilly-Rose's came out smooth in each bowl. Victoria's milk landed with a thud, and her egg gave off black smoke with each crack, while Lilly-Rose had no such trouble. They both poured each batter mix in a cake pan, a pie tin, and a loaf pan and placed them in the ovens. After that, Ms. Holly called forward three people from the crowd and placed the non-magic treats in front of them.

"We'll do the taste test first, she gestured to the sisters," then you two will do the magic test.

Victoria's cake was like chalk and apparently had no taste. Her pie crust almost broke the tester knife and teeth, and the filling was unbelievably sour, and finally the bread had little bits of something hard throughout the loaf and was somehow partly raw in the center and burnt on the ends. In contrast, Lilly-Rose's cake was soft and sweet, her pie crust and filling delicious, and her loaf warm and satisfying.

"Big deal! Victoria sneered, "The magic is the most important part."

For the magic test, Lilly-Rose went first. When she cut the cake and out spilled a cluster of gems, a few swirled around her, gifting her a set of earrings and a necklace. Cutting the pie, she was gifted a beautiful pink and white dress. The bread gave her a bunch of gold coins. Victoria was so angered by this that she grabbed three knives and practically stabbed her cake, pie, and bread. The bread shot out a black cloud that covered her in soot, and the pie blew dead leaves that tangled in her hair. A croaking came from the cake and out popped a bunch of toads. At that, Victoria screamed and ran out of the bakery with the toads and her mother in tow. When they all recovered from the shock, Ms. Holly turned to Lilly-Rose. "Well, safe to say that you got the job."

"Thank you, Lilly-Rose looked down shyly. "Given what just happened, it's probably better if I don't go home for a while. Could I stay with you?"

Holly put a comforting hand on her shoulder 'say no more; let's you and me go get you things."

When Regina and Victoria got back home tired and dirty from getting rid of the toads, they found Lilly-Rose's room empty. To no one's surprise, she didn't go back. And as far as anybody knew, Regina and Victoria never showed up at the bakery again.